Cost will be $85 for the full weekend.  For more information, please email capoeirapittsburgh@gmail.com, and put “batizado” in the subject line.  Axé!

The event was a huge success, thanks to the participation of a number of Unção and visiting capoeiristas, Ana Paola and the Brazil Nuts Dance Troupe from Pitt, Tracie Yorke and her Brazilian samba students, and lots of guests and community members.  Special thanks also to Kristi Rogers & her husband Jody, owners of BYS, for supporting the event.  Thanks also to capoeiristas Olha for taking these photos, and Punketa for selecting the winning images for this post.

The event kicked off with food, drinks, and socializing!

The event featured an open roda, in which not only seasoned capoeiristas, but also novices, participated:

An open maculele roda:

A special guest performance by the Brazil Nuts Dance Group from Pitt:

…the audience was riveted!!

And at the end of the evening, Tracie Yorke led the group in an amazing samba workshop!  Everyone got sweaty and had fun.

Obrigada again to everyone who helped make this event a super success.  Salve e muito axé!!!

Our final class before the winter break will be on Tuesday, December 20 at 7:15pm in Bellefield Hall.  Classes will resume in 2012 on Saturday, January 7 at BYS Yoga.  The spring class schedule will remain the same as the fall term–we’ll continue to meet Tue & Thurs at 7:15pm at Bellefield, and Saturdays at 11:45am at BYS Yoga on the South Side.  Please feel free to email capoeirapittsburgh.com for more information.

Boas festas e feliz ano novo!!

This year, Unção Capoeira is celebrating it’s 5th year of existence here in Pittsburgh!  We are super excited to have spent five years bringing the art and philosophy of capoeira to the Pittsburgh community.  Over these years, Unção has performed at and taught workshops for countless community events and local schools.  Our performances have benefited the work of many fine Pittsburgh-area organizations, including The Salvation Army, the YMCA, and Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies, “Brazil Nuts” Portuguese Club, and Campus Women’s Organization, among others.

Come help us celebrate this amazing accomplishment at our anniversary party and open house on Saturday, December 3 from 6:30-9:30pm at BYS Yoga.  The party will feature an open roda, maculele, samba, and lots of food & yummy drinks!  $5 suggested donation at the door–abada optional!

Thanks to “Italiano” for designing our cool flyer!

Support the FB event here.

Oi, capoeiristas!  Last Saturday, October 1, Unção Capoeira Pittsburgh participated in The Most Amazing Race of Pittsburgh, a charity event benefiting The Salvation Army. In downtown Pittsburgh’s Market Square, members of Unção taught teams of two to perform a couple of capoeira movements that they then performed in the capoeira circle, or “roda.”  Despite the cold & rainy weather, we had a great time playing capoeira and supporting our local community!

Unção greeters met the racers here and taught them capoeira movements.

Racers then moved on to the roda to demonstrate what they’d learned.

By the end of the morning, we were chilly, but in good spirits!

Our weekday capoeira classes now meet on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7:15pm in the aerobics room on the 2nd floor of Bellefield Hall.  Saturday classes meet as usual at 11:45am at BYS Yoga on the South Side.  Come celebrate the changing of the seasons by recommitting to capoeira this fall.  See you there!

This weekend I traveled to Atlantic City, NJ for a workshop with Contra Mestre Coquinho of Unção Capoeira Seattle, hosted by Monitor Graveto. Friday night we had a workshop with Coquinho at the academy, and then on Saturday, we moved to the beach for a roda on the Jersey Shore.  Outdoor rodas (or capoeira “circles”) are one of the great things about practicing capoeira in the summer. Enjoy!

More about Monitor Dentista:

“Monitor Dentista has been practicing Capoeira for over 10 years. Dentista has been involved in the martial arts since the age of 8. He began training Capoeira at the age of 24. Monitor Dentista belongs to ASCAB, the Associacao Santista de Capoeira Areia Branca as it is known in Brazil but in the U.S. It is known as the American Society of Capoeira and the Arts of Brazil based in Philadelphia, PA led by Mestre Doutor. 2010, Dentista was made ‘Monitor’ by Mestre Doutor, with other mestres and higher-ups present. In the ASCAB system the title ‘Monitor’ is higher than Professor and is fours away from Mestre. So close and yet so far.

His passion for capoeira has led him to great accomplishments including the opening of his own capoeira academy with schools located throughout Ohio and Alabama. He has given countless workshops, demonstrations and discussions on capoeira in the United States. He also holds an annual capoeira tournament at the Arnold Classic, the second largest fitness event in the United States, in Columbus, Ohio. His mission is to continue to use capoeira to community-build and spread the knowledge of its Afro-Brazilian roots. Monitor Dentista founded and currently runs Grupo Unidade Capoeira in Cleveland, Ohio where he has a group of students devoted to his exciting methods of teaching and enthusiastic personality.”

Earlier this month, Unção Capoeira Pittsburgh taught a series of workshops to Pittsburgh-area kids for the YMCA International Festival.  For the festival, YMCA day-campers learned about a variety of cultures from around the world. Unção represented Brazil for the event and taught participants about the history of capoeira and how to do a number of capoeira movements.  If you know of a local community organization that would like to schedule a workshop or demonstration with Unção, please let us know by emailing capoeirapittsburgh@gmail.com.